Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I just curious what your daily routine is like when both parents work. We are still trying to find what works, but it's tough getting home after 6pm, getting the boys ready for bed and then figuring out what to do for dinner.

Please tell me what works (even what doesn't) for you.

TIA

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

H E L L
Seriously...I work 8-4 so i pick dd up at 4:30. (she is usually at my moms...sometimes at the sitters) Feed her, change her, play with her etc...
at about 10pm she goes to sleep and dh comes home.
In the AM I leave for work at 8 am and dh 9. I usually have him take her to the sitters. I mostly have the sitter feed her breakfast at 9 am since she sleeps til 8:30ish.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I get up at 6 and dh feeds baby in bed her bottle( well she can hold it now her self be we stil lte her eat in there just to have some cuddling time). I get ready while dh feeds and cuddles. I go get the car started and dh gets her ready to go ( put her in car seat, get jacket on). I take her to the sitters and pick her up from sitters. I teach so i am home first and i feed and bath and play with her.Dh gets in and plays with her while i have a few mommy minutes alone then he gets dinner ready while i put her to bed and then we start alll over again!

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Most days, I do everything because DH works longer hours. DS wakes up between 6 and 7, I get him dressed and give him some breakfast. We leave at 7:45 and I drop him off at my inlaws or my dad's house. I pick him up between 3 and 4. We go to the park or run errands, or just go home to play. He eats dinner around 6 and has a bath at 7 and is usually in bed at 8. As for our dinner, we eat after he goes to bed. I must admit we order out at least 3-4 times a week, cooking is not my thing anyway but thereis really no time to cook. I usually clean and do laundry after dinner and go to bed by midnight.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

4:45am- DH gets up at to catch a train.
5:30am -I get up usually, get the clothes ready, daycare stuff together, check email, check work, finish up some work things, make lunches, load car, etc.
6:45-7:30am - Get the kids dressed, ready
7:30-7:45am - Drive & drop Maddie off at school, breakfast in the car for both of them.
7:45am - 8am - Drive Joseph to school
8:04am - the security door will open, drop Joseph off
8:11am - Catch my train

Work

5:30pm - 6:30pm - DH picks up Maddie & Joe at school, may go grocery shopping, does homework with Joe while cooking dinner

6:30pm - I walk in the door.
6:30-7:00pm - Eat dinner, talk about homework, school day, etc
7:00pm-7:30pm - bathtime, dinner cleanup
7:30pm - 8:00pm - bedtime story & then to bed.

8:00pm - 11:00pm - misc chores, fold laundry, LIF, play around with some software, edit photos, work, soccer stuff, meet up with friends for coffee (depends on the night)

11:00pm - 12:00am - bedtime.

Message edited 6/19/2007 12:29:04 PM.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

To add what works:

No TV in the morning at all. If it goes on, they're mesmerized & will through tantrums before a shows ends.

If we're early, they aren't allowed to eat breakfast until they are fully dressed (with shoes). Then they can have oatmeal, cereal. If they aren't dressed, they can have a drinkable yogurt, banana, muffin, granola bar or dry cereal in the car. Maddie has breakfast at school. Joseph has a 10am snack time.

I've made up games about getting get dressed. I alternate depending on the crankiness level.

Games:
- Dance your clothes on
- Get dressed before the song ends
- whoever is dressed first, gets a piggy back ride to the car
- I pretend they're still sleeping & dress them in their sleep as I tell a story about the sleepy knight or princess

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

DD gets up around 6am. I get up, change her and give her a bottle. I bring her into my bed.

DH gets up at 6:30. While he showers me and DD either play or relax (depending on her mood).

DH leaves at 7am. I surround her with toys and take a shower. I'm usually done by 7:40. I dress her and play a little. In the car by 8am and drive to daycare.

I pick up between 4:45 and 5pm, home by 5:15 - 5:30. Put her on bed or floor with some toys while I get changed and washed up. We play until 6:30.

6:30 DD gets dinner, then bath, sing songs & read 2 books
7:30 bottle, bed

DH gets home usuallly during the 7:30 bottle.

8pm clean bottles, put away baby toys, get ready for daycare for next day then start dinner.

Relax with some TV and LIF around 9pm.

Bed for mommy by 11pm

Message edited 6/18/2007 10:22:26 PM.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Honestly, the way we make it work is that we never see each other I work from 8am-3pm, and he works from 4pm-11pm. In the morning, I get up for work, change her, get her set up in the pack n play and leave for work. Jt then either drops her off to me at work at the end of my day or the sitter comes and he leaves for work. The best thing I did was get a sitter two times a week. And even if both of you are home together in the evenings, having a sitter makes all the difference. I'm off for the summer now, but during the school year, I get all my errands done on those two days that the sitter is here and I usually make two meals, one for that night and one for the next. I learned a lot of really quick, easy recipes since I had Ava, and that really helps. I try not to use any frozen foods and we do not eat fast food, so I'm pretty impressed with myself for getting my act together with dinner. Granted there were some weeks I was so busy I needed to buy frozen meals, but for the most part, I have week night dinners down to a science.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Here is our schedule . We are both teachers so its prettty much consistant

6 - 6:15 AM wake up get showered and ready for work

7:00 Get kids up - I dress Sara and DH helps Sam get dressed

7:30 - Leave for work - DH brings kids to babysitter

3:15 school is out - we take turns picking sara up at the babysitter while the other one waits for Sammy's school bus

4 -5: 30 PM play and do homework
Bath and dinner
7:00 bath and get ready for sleep
BOth kids are usually asleep by 8:30

Message edited 6/18/2007 10:59:51 PM.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I do everything. DH is gone from 5 in the morning til about 7-8 at night...

Cailen wakes up at 4, i give him his bottle, we chill for a bit. Then I give him a bath at around 6:30, and put him in the swing for an early nap while I shower and get dressed for work

Drop him off at daycare between 8-9, work until 4:45-5:00, pick him up by 5:30/5:45, drive home, hang out with him, feed him, go for a walk or jog if time. DH comes home, eat dinner, watch some TV, feed Cailen, put him down, get ready for bed!

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

WOW! I just wanted to say to all you working moms.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

DH gets up around 5:45am. Goes to work.

I get up whenever Andrew wakes up. Usually between 6:30-7:30am. It depends on how active his day was before. Then I wake up and take care of Andrew until it is time for me to go to work.

I have to be at work between 10-10:30am. Either my Mom comes here 2 days or my SIL & MIL watch him at their house which they both live extremely close.

I go to work.

I get off around 4pm. Go get Andrew. Sometimes DH gets home before me or after me. Depends on the traffic and where he is working that day.

Then we go home eat dinner, play, then get ready for bed.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I work 9-5, he works midnight to 8.

I get up anywhere between 5 and 7 and Jules gets up 7-9am. In the am, I load the dish washer, feed the dogs and wash the kitchen floor because we have wee wee pads down for them.
I eat my breakfast...and go online.

Brian gets home at 8.15, depending on what time she gets up determines who has to bathe and dress her. THis also determines who will feed her breaksfast.

At 12, Brian drops her off by my mother.
He eats lunch and goes to sleep until around 9-9.45pm. He tries to do as much laundry as he can while he is up. He is also responsible for the pool, our bedroom and yard clean up.

I get Jules from my mothers at 6 and we come home, get our pajamas on and camp out on the couch watching the goodnight show for about an hour and a half-(until 7-8) when she passes out. If Brian is up or out, I put her to sleep in our bed. Either way, once she is asleep, I transfer her in to her crib.

Once she is asleep, I make dinner for Brian (but I have been lazy lately, I will make a huge piece of meat and a pound of whatever as a side because I am too tired to cook half the time...).
I usually throw on a load of laundry, un load the dishwasher and reload it with whatever Brian had that day.

I go to bed between 9 and 10 just as he is getting out of bed.

On Fridays, Brian has her all day beacsue I get out early. I am usually home about one-two. Then Jules and I have mommy and me day, we go for walks, to the mall, to the park, and always to dinner. It's her one crappy meal a week-usually chicken fingers or soup.

On the weekends, I let Brian sleep in and Jules usually gets up about 8-9am.
I do the cleaning, food shopping and whatever errands I have to run.

She sleeps over his mothers one night every other weekend so we can have some alone time. We hardly ever see eachother during the week. Fall to Spring is even harder for us beacsue he has season Ranger's Tickets and in the Spring/Summer, he has a Met's ticket pack. Fall, Summer and Spring he has softball two days a week, usually Fridays and always Sundays.

Does it work? Ehhh... We are both exhausted, we hardly see each other but we never really have time to argue. We appreciate when his mother does take her for the night or on a weekend day so we can get things done faster around here, and we like getting our alone time whether it's with or friends, watching TV or go to dinner.

It's also easier at night beacsue my parents feed her dinner, so all I have to do is the diaper change, pajamas and milk. She has been reading ME the books lately-they all seem to start, "Once upon the time, there was a princess", lol.. even the Betty Crocker cookbook. And I appreciate very second of time I get with her because I do work full time.

And as far as not seeing DH, we must talk on the phone 6-7 times a day. I talk to him half my commute to work as well. It's not like we are out of touch, we just can't sleep together at night.

Not sure how it will be once #2 is born, but as for now, we seem to be ok.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

DH and I both work. DH usually gets home before me and he will cook dinner or do stuff around the house. I get home about 5:30 and put Jacob in his highchair with some toys. I clean his bottles from the day and get his dinner ready. By 6:00 Jacob is starving so I feed him dinner and give him some apple juice. We give him a bath and I play with him for a little bit and DH gets dinner ready for us. By 7:00ish we eat dinner and put Jacob in his exersourcer. After we eat DH puts Jacob to bed. Usually the evenings go smoothly but who knows what will happen with #2

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Well, I only have one parent in the household and that's me! I haven't went back to work full time yet, but I am planning that my schedule will go something like this

Wake up around 6:30, feed Emma. Take Shower. Wake DS up. Tell DS 15 times to get dressed for school. Put DS on the bus around 8:10. Drop DD off at Daycare by 8:45. Get to work at 9. Spend my lunch hour getting errands done that I won't be able to do all day anymore. Leave work at 5. Go pick up DS from aftercare at 5:10. Pick up DD from daycare at 5:30. Go home, cook dinner. Give baths. Do dishes, clean up the house. Make bottles for next day. Pack snacks and lunch for school. Read books to kiddos and go to bed by 10. Whew, I'm exhausted reading it.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

DH usually leaves at 6 am (or 7 am)

Bella wakes up anywhere between 6 and 7 am (I am trying really hard to establish a 7 am wake-up because she is a crankypants when she gets up earlier)

We hang out on the couch and watch Barney and Higglytown heroes (she relaxes and drinks he morning milk, I get my snuggle time)
we play a bit...
8:30--usually I begin trying to feed her b-fast...also answer the emails that have begun...

8:30-9:00--alternate Bella whining about needing a fork for cheerios with trying to shower and dress (2 minute morning showers are now being replaced by long nighttime ones)

9:00-9:15--dress Bella and then dress mommy one leg at a time while Bella hangs on other one singing. Sometimes I have to just boot her outta my bedroom for three minutes to get dressed.

9:15--now I am rushing. getting all her daycare stuff ready (which entails a what the hell is she gonna eat today thoughts)

9:25--Bella usually picks this time to take a poop.

9:29--now I am running while singing to Bella "who wants to go bye-bye"

9:34--should have been in the car 9 minutes ago. drive Bella while encouraging other drivers to move along


9:40 drop bella off at daycare. she runs into the teacher's arms and forgets about mommy. I leave with or without a kiss (I usually psuh for the kiss)

9:47--run for train (cardio workout for the day)

10 am--do various work emails, conf calls (the ones I just have to listen in on) and other work while on train.

10:30-??? work (I worked until 2 am last night, so it changes up)
On a normal night, I will try really hardto get home by 6 pm...

4:00-4:30 pm--Bella gets picked up by DH.

6 pm-ish--I walk in to cheers from Bella who immediately grabs my hand and attches herself to my leg. if I am home at 6, I eat with DH and Bella. He usually has something percolating before I get there...

6:45pm bathttime, winding down.

7:15-7:30--Bella goes to bed.

after 7:30 I usually get a few more hours of work in, LIF of course, watch TV, hang with DH. Take shower Bella whined through in the am.

10-11 pm go to sleep. I am rarely up past 11 pm...but I am finding 10 pm to be early.

7 am it starts ALL over again

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Wow I'm tired just reading this thread. Here's ours:
Wake up 5am, work out or sleep in and wake up at 6. Baby wakes up around 6 and stays in crib, if he's fussing DH will get him while I shower. I rush to get ready while DH does the neb treatment, changes, feeds and dresses DS. If he has to leave early I will do it all, we're pretty good about being flexible. By 7AM I am ready and getting bottles/my lunch/daycare stuff into the car and either dressing/feeding Ryan or just play w/him for a few minutes. We leave by 7:30 for daycare.
At night I try to get him by 5:30, home by 5:45, feed him dinner immediately bc he is exhausted from not napping all day. I then whisk him upstairs, do a neb treatment, bath, PJ's story bottle and bed by 6:30-7ish. Dh sometimes is home making dinner or bottles for next day, dishwasher, feeding dogs whatever. After DS is down we eat dinner, clean up, get ready for next day do laundry, bills, clean etc. It is hectic to say the least!

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I work 9-5 & DH works midnight - 8am so it works out for us pretty good.

5:45 am - I get up & start getting ready

6 am - 6:20 am - MIL comes to my house to watch DS

6:30 - 7 am - DS usually gets up so I change his diaper and then give him to my MIL so that I can finish getting ready

7 am - I leave to go to work

8:30 - 9 am - DH comes home from work. He usually eats breakfast with DS and then goes to sleep

When he gets home, he drives MIL back home to LI. When he gets back home, he takes care of DS.

5:45 - 6 pm - I come home from work and start dinner

7 - 7:30 - we eat dinner

8 - 8:30 - Michael gets a bath

8:30 - 9 - DH gets Michael ready for bed while I either take a shower or start doing the dishes

9 - 9:30 pm - I usually finish cleaning everything in the kitchen

10 pm - I finally get to sit down

11:30 - time for bed

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

We have a pretty good, manageable routine going.

Alex wakes up most mornings at 7am. I go to work very early (6:50am train), so I can come home early (4pm). So, I leave for work, and DH gets up with Alex. He gets her ready for school, drops her off (only a block away), comes back to the house and gets ready for work, and usually gets to work between 9am-10am (he owns his own company, so sets his own schedule).

I get home between 4-5pm, pick up Alex, and play with her outside until DH comes home. We give her dinner at 6pm, and then, around 7pm, I usually bathe her, and put her to sleep, while DH cooks dinner for us, and my father. She's asleep by 7:30pm, and then we eat dinner, clean up the house a little, make her lunch for the next day, and then relax a little before bedtime.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I work 9:00 to 5:30, DH 8:00 to 6 or 7.

Morning routine...

5:30/6:00 am - Wake up, change diaper, get dressed, play
I get in the shower and get dressed
6:45 - Eat cereal and fruit and bottle afterwards
7:15/7:30 - Clean up, sing, change diaper (usually poopy, LOL)
7:45 - wake up DH
7:50 - leave house

After work...

6:00 - pick up from moms house
6:30 - go home, play on floor a little bit while DH cooks dinner
7:00/7:30 - Bath time
7:30/7:45 - Bottle time and sleep.

Depending on how tired he is, sometimes he barely plays and is sleeping by a little after 7.

Honestly, what works for us is not cooking fancy meals. They only take about 15 minutes to cook. We do chicken breast or cutlets, pork cutlets, turkey breast, turkey or chicken burgers, salads, steamed veggies and sometimes we make our own pizza, which is SUPER easy and fast!

In the morning, what works for me is telling myself "so what if I'm late?" When I constantly watch the clock, and rush him, he gets frazzled and cranky. If I just go about things smoothly, he is fine.

Also, he is a stickler for a schedule. If I veer of the schedule, then forget about it! He is a crank and a half. We don't go minute by minute, but usually in the same general time frame.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Morning Routine:

6:30-6:45am: I get up and shower (Jake is usually up at this point, happily playing in his crib and I don't go in until I've showered)

7:00 - 7:45pm: I dress Jake, give him breakfast (usually a yogurt, & a pancake, some fruit); he eats while I sit at the kitchen table putting on my makeup, making my coffee for work, and signing the daycare book or writing notes in it and prepping stuff to bring to the car.

7:45pm: Jake runs around while I get dressed and do my hair

8:05-8:15-am: DH will help me bring stuff to the car and I leave for work and drop Jake off at daycare, and get to work at about 5 mins to 9am if I'm lucky.

Evening:

5:30pm - DH gets home with Jake and does nothing (?) until I walk in the door at...

6:00pm - after stopping at the supermarket to p/u whatever we needed for dinner, I start Jake's dinner (boil water for rice) and check the mail as I start running his bath...

6:25pm - I'm bathing Jake and DH usually sets the table for Jake's dinner

6:30 - 7:00pm - DH starts dinner and Jake is eating dinner and I am helping DH with dinner if he needs it (yes we rarely get to sit down to eat together as a family)

7:00 - 7:15pm: I read Jake a few books, brush his teeth, one last diaper change and get him into bed

7:45pm - DH and I sit down to eat dinner and I still have not changed out of my work clothes.


What works:
** Lately DH has been doing 99% of the cooking because he's on some wacky diet and we got a new grill - I ain't complaining but usually we divide the week into

Mon, Tue I cook while he baths & feeds Jake

Wed Thurs - switch

Fri - we order out and take it easy


** Planning ahead - plan meals ahead whenever possible; if we plan ahead we can usually all sit down to eat together.

What doesn't work:
-- Rigid shifts. Both have to be flexible b/c there will be days where I don't feel like cooking even though it's my night or Jake only wants his Mommy on Daddy's night to bathe, etc

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

I work-9:00-5:30 and DH works 2-10pm

DD wakes up anywhere bet 6-6:30am, i usually wake up with her, give 1st bottle of the day, change diaper, put some play clothes on, hang out, watch sesame street.
DH wakes up usually by 7am- has his coffee, sits around with DD. I usually start getting dressed around 7:15 and am out the door at 7:45 to catch a train. DH watches DD from the time I leave till about 1:30 where MIL comes to watch DD. DH then gets showered and changed to go to work at 2pm.
DH then typically comes home for dinner break at 6:30 to relieve MIL. She usually had already fed, brushed teeth and changed DD by this time. I typically get home anywhere bet 7-7:30pm. Once i get home DH grabs a quick bite and he goes back to work till 10 and I get in the last 15-30 mins of hug and play time with DD then put her down around 7:30. After DD goes down i usually run dishwasher, get the house ready for the next day, eat dinner, maybe throw a load in the washer. By the time that is all said and done it is about 9-9:30pm. Catch maybe 1hr of TV and am in bed anywhere bet 10:30-11pm.

ETA: DH cooks 2-3x/wk and i cook 2x/wk. We will eat leftovers on the other day and eat out 1 day/wk.

Also-DD will be going to daycare starting in Aug from 10:30-5pm so DH will have some time to himself before work.

Message edited 6/19/2007 12:12:25 PM.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

To all working moms! I will be a working PT mom starting Monday and I am so glad this thread was started.
I just said to DH last night we need to come up with a routine.
You ladies are giving me good ideas. Thank You so much.

Re: Households with 2 working parents - what's your routine like?

DH leaves at 6am and I get up about 6:30...Kerri gets a bottle and plays. My dad comes to me to watch her.

DH is home 2:30-3...he plays with her and I get home 3:30....so we both spend time with her. Take turns cooking dinner and doing bath and she is in bed by 7:30